Prince Philip’s car crash illustrates how the rest of us pay for the recklessness of the privileged

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A Home Counties villager has been left shocked after a local church pruned their large hedge and “ruined” what was a a picture of rural serenity.

“There has been no consultation about this work and my neighbours are as upset as I am”

Frances Carey

Frances Carey, from Datchet, Berkshire, is fuming about the “destruction” of the hedge, which she said was cut right down without consultation.

St Mary the Virgin Church said the hedge had needed intensive work to save it and had been wasting away behind its apparently luscious green foliage.

But Ms Carey, 66, said the trimming has sparked an unholy row and turned what was a ten-foot visual feature into a “horrendous eyesore”. The hedge, which is on church grounds, runs for about 100 yards.

The hedge before the trimmers (Photo: SWNS)

Secateurian row

“I thought you had to get permission to do something like that,” said Ms Carey, who has lived in Datchet, a quaint village near Eton, for 28 years.

“It does look a mess, I agree. The situation has been handled quite badly”

Cllr Gary Muir

“It was ten feet high and three feet wide before – now it is barely 1.5 metres above the ground. This hedge was 100 years old.

“There has been no consultation about this work and my neighbours are as upset as I am.

“They have just left ugly black stumps, creating a horrendous eyesore and destroying the habitat of birds and animals.”

100-year-old hedge

Churchwarden Elaine Eastham has defended the decision and said the work was needed in order to preserve the hedge.

She said: “It had to be trimmed back in order for it to grow back much richer.”

The church has defended the hedge cutting (Photo: SWNS)

Local council

Councillor Gary Muir, who represents rural Datchet at both parish and county level, has been drawn into the dispute.

He said the borough was looking into the issue to see if any rules had been breached regarding the hedge.

Mr Muir said: “It does look a mess, I agree. The situation has been handled quite badly.

“They should have had the courtesy to let people know they were planning to cut the hedge.”

Prince Philip’s car crash illustrates how the rest of us pay for the recklessness of the privileged

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